PrairieMod Monday

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Sad to say, but the ideal solution to recovering the lost glory of the mahogany woodwork in the "PrairieMod"-ification of the red house turned out to be a dud.

I mentioned my skepticism of the eco-friendly paint remover called Peel Away 6 in last week's post...turned out my suspicions were correct. The test area I tried the goop and paper combo out on turned into a bigger mess once I removed the peel away paper covering.

The paint that did stick to the paper did peel off, however not all the paint came up and what was mostly left was a gooey mess. The worst part was that there was still plenty of paint left embedded in the pores of the wood that was not budging. After wrestling with the mess that occurred after one small area application, I quickly came to the conclusion that it would be insanity to attempt the rest of the room this way.

So what now? Well, when you're handed lemons, make lemonade. The first PrairieMod Principle in approaching any situation, is Consider The Cost. So what are my options:

• I could try having a professional service try their hand at stripping the woodwork

• I could replace it all with new wood

• Somehow find a solution to reclaim what exists without chemically stripping it

I got quotes from some professionals and they told me what I already knew: It would be ungodly expensive, messy and there would be no guarantee the paint would come out of the pores of the wood. Strike one.

From working on my previous house, I knew how much time, energy and cost went into replacing all the woodwork with new. It would be a considerable amount and worst of all, I'd have to scrap all of this perfectly beautiful (yet painted) mahogany wood. I can't totally rule out the replacement possibility, but it would break my heart--a pretty considerable cost. Strike two.

That leaves me with option three--the nebulous option. Well, creative solutions are usually the most rewarding, so I have an idea I'd like to run past the PrairieMod readers out there.

The painted woodwork in question is really pieces of butt-cut, half inch thick trim boards painted on the top and two sides and affixed to the wall with finishing nails. Here's my idea: I was thinking I could pull each piece down one-by-one and run the boards through a planer, taking just enough off to get rid of the painted surface on top. Then run each board edge through my table saw, again taking just enough off to get rid of the paint. Sand each piece sightly, rub some clear finish into the surfaces to bring out the wood's natural beauty and put it back in place, good as new. This way, there is no chemical mess and the time table can be a quick or slow as I have time for.

So does this seem do-able? If we have any woodworkers out there, please feel free to chime in with your experiences and whether or not this would be another blind alley. I'd like to find a way to save this wood and I'm hoping this creative stripping solution might be the best. Until then, I have more paint/paper scraps to clean up...*sigh*

Comments

[Marty]

After stripping miles of woodwork, if there was an easier and more eco-friendly way, I would know about it - no one dislikes the work more than me!

The chemical method, using a paste methelyne chloride, followed by an alcohol wash is still the best way if you don't want to damage fine wood.

It's important to use a good product - they aren't all the same. The best paste removers available (here in the Chicago area) are made by Reliable, and Ace Hardware's own brand, believe it or not.

And any process using water is bad, bad, bad for good wood - i.e. don't use peel away (great for masonry though!).

Can chemical stripping be the most "green"? Yes. Especially if it consumes the least resources.

Even though meth. is not the most ecologically - or people - friendly solvent, it takes less of the chemical than you might think if you develop a good technique. Peel away puts more stuff into the waste stream.

Technique is everything in controlling the amount of chemical used and reducing waste.

Also, planing or sanding paint off boards uses electricity, ruins your planer, and spreads paint chips and dust all over your own environment instead into a more controlled waste stream. And if the paint contains lead or other heavy metals, etc.. well, you know.

Finally, if the wood is not exceptionally fine, like your mahogony is, the most eco friendly thing to do is to replace it (with a renewable wood from a renewable source).

There's much more, but I don't want to write a book here.

The mahogony you've exposed so far looks pretty cool!

[Larry Betz]

First, you may want to check if it is leaded paint. If so, wear a mask-type respirator. I had a similar problem and wound up taking off the woodwork, pulling the nails out from behind with a pliers or vice grip (so the nail head holes are in tact. Then decide if you can use the trim in reverse or not. Run the boards through your planer preferably on the unpainted side but if need be, on the painted side as you suggested and then the sides through the table saw or jointer. This process of planing and jointing off paint will dull your blades more quickly than plain wood. Hope this helps and good luck. Larry